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Focus on Political Science

An August 1Gallup poll found that the major political parties continue to become more polarized, ideologically, with Democrats becoming more liberal and Republicans becoming more conservative.

In an August 1commentary, historian Robert Dallek suggested that some of the craziness in American politics stems from a leadership vacuum on both sides of the aisle.

On July 31, historian Joel Goldstein posted a commentary discussing the modern role of the vice president. Since Richard Nixon was vice president under Dwight Eisenhower and especially since Walter Mondale was vice president under Jimmy Carter, it has become an important and powerful executive branch position, he says.

A July 26 Rasmussen poll found that people’s approval of Congress has reached the lowest level in history.

A July 22 Pew poll found that the GOP is increasingly becoming the party of white people.

On July 21, Gallup posted a study of presidential popularity at the same point in their first terms.

A July 21 PPP poll found that 52 percent of people approve of God’s performance and only 9 percent disapprove; 40 percent had no opinion. God’s approval is much higher among African Americans than other racial groups, and much higher among the young than the old.

In a July 19 commentary, political scientist Norman Ornstein labeled the current Congress as the worst, ever.

A Juneworking paper from the Mercatus Center found that when politicians are constrained by hard balanced budget requirements there are more likely to use regulatory policy to advance their goals.

Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).